Clinico-epidemiological and Socio-demographic Profile of HIV/AIDS Patients Diagnosed at a Tertiary Care Centre in Kashmir

Objectives: To study the Clinico-epidemiological and Socio-demographic profile of HIV/AIDS patients diagnosed at HIV clinic of Government Medical College and associated hospitals, Srinagar. Methods: A total of 50220 individuals visited the said clinic and were enrolled for the study. The Screening was done using different Elisa's as advised by NACO and those confirmed as HIV positive were studied for their clinical spectrum and different demographic parameters. Results: Out of a total of 50220 patients tested for HIV 1 and/or HIV 2 infection, 173 were detected seropositive for HIV 1. The mean age of presentation of the participants was 30.04 ± 7.1 years. Among the seropositive patients, 138 (79.7%) were married, 70(40.4%) were security personnel’s, 123 (71.09%) were from non-local population and 150 (86.7%) belonged to rural areas. The commonest mode of transmission was heterosexual route 126 (72.8%). Majority of the participants 91(52.6%) who were detected positive for HIV/AIDS were having CD4 count at presentation between 150-250/µl. The commonest symptoms among HIV/AIDS seropositive patients was fever. Furthermore, sero-positive patients also had secondary opportunistic infections among which pulmonary tuberculosis was most common. Conclusion: The clinical and demographic profile of HIV/AIDS patients in Kashmir is largely similar to the rest of India. Kashmir no longer stands immune to the menace of HIV/AIDS. With increasing globalization, frequent travel and change in social values the state is likely to witness an alarming rise in new cases unless a multipronged approach is undertaken to control the spread.